Issues Regarding the Current and Future Use of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet
Abstract
To support military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Defense (DoD) has made substantial use of commercial air transportation provided by carriers that participate in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program. Over the 2002 2006 period, DoD's total expenditures for airlift services provided by CRAF carriers averaged about $2.1 billion annually, a nearly fourfold increase over the average during the previous five years. Carriers that participate in the CRAF program are eligible to receive that business from DoD in exchange for making their aircraft and air crews available on short notice to support rapid, large-scale deployments of military forces. DoD is anticipating a substantial decrease in the need for commercial airlift services when operations in the Middle East ultimately wind down. To maintain carriers incentives to participate in the CRAF program, DoD submitted a proposal as part of its fiscal year 2008 budget request that would allow it to guarantee CRAF carriers more business at the beginning of a fiscal year than it is currently authorized to guarantee.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA473110
Entities
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office